Please keep the pressure up on Redland City Council. We need the bins back on Coochie too!

 

 https://www.redland.qld.gov.au/Abou.../Contact-Us/Complaints

 

Email Lance Hewlett: Lance.Hewlett@redland.qld.gov.au

 

Well, the good news is… after considerable community backlash, photos of overflowing rubbish, and a fair bit of collective head-scratching, Redland City Council has confirmed that bins will be reinstated at the Victoria Point Jetty waiting area.

 

A new 240-litre enclosed bin is scheduled to return, with collections taking place four times a week.

 

Progress! 🎉

 

And genuinely, credit where it’s due. Community feedback clearly mattered here, and it’s encouraging to see Council acknowledge that removing bins altogether may not have delivered the sparkling environmental outcome everyone hoped for.

 

But…

While Victoria Point gets its bins back, many Coochie residents are still asking the obvious question:

 

What about us?

 

Because the reality is, rubbish doesn’t magically stop existing once people board a ferry.

 

Coochie’s jetty, ferry areas, and public spaces still experience the exact same challenges:

Takeaway coffee cups

Food wrappers and takeaway containers

Fishing rubbish

Wind-blown litter

Tourist overflow during busy weekends

And the occasional mystery item abandoned for the ibis inspection squad

 

To be fair, we do understand the practical side of this.

Reinstalling and servicing a bin at Victoria Point is obviously easier and cheaper. Trucks are already there. Staff are already there. Infrastructure already exists.

 

Coochie, meanwhile, requires ferry access, coordination, labour time, and probably three spreadsheets, two risk assessments and a marine operations briefing before someone can empty a wheelie bin.

But the problem still needs solving.

 

And perhaps this is where a more localised, collaborative solution could emerge.

Could servicing be incorporated into the existing council runs already happening on the island? (Depending on frequency)

Could contractors already attending the toilets and BBQ areas absorb it into their schedule?

Could Council partner with local volunteer groups or community organisations to help manage a practical solution? (This could be a good fund-raiser for island community groups...)

 

Because right now, the current arrangement feels a little like:

“We fixed the mainland side. Good luck with the island.”

 

Nobody expects industrial-scale waste management infrastructure at the Coochie jetty. Residents simply want a sensible system that reflects the reality of island life and visitor numbers.

 

What this entire bin saga has highlighted is something bigger than rubbish itself.

 

People care deeply about this community.

They care about the environment

They care about Moreton Bay

They care about how the island presents to visitors and residents alike

And they care about not watching ibis conduct forensic investigations into abandoned chip packets at the ferry terminal

So while we’re genuinely pleased to see movement from Council, we’ll also continue advocating for a practical, sustainable solution for Coochie itself.

 

Preferably one involving fewer overflowing rubbish piles and fewer philosophical debates about whether removing bins somehow creates less rubbish.

 

P.S. Before anyone asks… yes, I did run the Council response past my AI assistant to help untangle the bureaucratic wording.

 

The AI’s summary was essentially:

“Humans appear to have rediscovered that public spaces generate rubbish.”

 

For legal reasons, editorial standards, and the ongoing preservation of community diplomacy… I should point out the sarcasm is mine, not the robot’s.

 

Screenshots curtesy of Diana Maree - with thanks!